As of late, the world has been experiencing many unusual events compared to the past such as the recent pandemic, the movement for racial equality, and the tumultuous political atmosphere. Furthermore, comparative to these recent changes, many individuals see a change in the outlook for the younger generation. These new challenges are being expressed by pastors who state their difficulties in communicating with their new generation ministries. This article will tackle issues and explore the methods to connect and discipline the new generation.
The first issue can be related to the increasing usage of technology of the modern era. As such, the church needs to find a solution to help the new generation in managing screen time. With the introduction of social distance, many individuals of the new generation admit to a considerable increase in screen time. Going along the same note, a recent study reported that Christian families would utilize media as a means for entertainment for an average of 8 hours a week while spending time with family and weekly activities for 10 hours, reading books, participating in church and extracurricular activities for 3 hours, and socializing with other kids for 1 hour. Even with these numbers, we can generalize that most of the listed activities are done through a screen. The report also stated that a staggering amount (86%) of churches do not yet have a plan for educating tech usage.
The second issue is the method of addressing the youth's interest in stories of injustice. Especially in a time where the nation is divided on many different issues such as racial injustice, the new generation is more perceptive and progressive than their elders to the issues we now face. Reports show that 51% of Millennials and 54% of Gen Z admit that our nation as a whole has a problem regarding race. Due to this, the younger generation finds that the stigma of slavery still holds weight in today's society and hope that the church would take measures to address the issues.
The third issue revolves around the issue of mental health. With the recent lockdowns involved with the pandemic, both the old and younger generations have faced mental stress regarding financial burdens and social distancing. As of May, one in three Millennials reported to be in need of food/supplies, emotional, and financial support. One in five Millennials said they were experiencing depression for some parts of each day and some for at least one day of the week. As a result, young adults are looking for answers within the church. 19% of 18-35 year old Christians stated that friends are missing in their worship community.
The fourth issue stems from the growing trend in church dropout rate among the younger generation. Many individuals stated that "Church is either not relevant to them", "I find God elsewhere", and "I can teach myself what I need to know". These statements can relate to the statistics of the matter in which most young adults fall into the habitual churchgoers while one in five young adults reported to have left the faith entirely. On the other end of the spectrum, there is a small percentage (10%) of young christians who are referred to as resilient disciples that aim to counter the trend.
